Flickers
by faded-memoirs
Summary: Maybe an elevator ride IS all it takes for feelings to be revealed. Rated K Minimal suggestiveness


**A/N: Hey guys, this is my first Fanfiction. Enjoy! :]**

The elevator light wavered momentarily before flickering off, causing the elevator to skid to a sudden halt.

Ziva grasped Tony's hand in the spur of the moment to keep her balance, whilst cursing profusely in Hebrew at the lack of light. Tony groaned inwardly at Ziva's unexpected contact, trying to ignore the unusual tingles that were threatening to make their way up his arm. Ziva blinked once before remembering her partner's presence and gingerly lightened her powerful grip. However, her hand remained in his, for she was certain that she would lose him in the overwhelming darkness.

With a sudden revelation, she reached for her backpack with two hands and rummaged ferociously. Both agents immediately missed each other's warmth but neither had the courage to voice it.

Ziva broke the comfortable silence with a quiet hiss. "I _know_ it is in here somewhere. I am certain that I put it in here. Where is the damn-" She pulled out a small torch and 'yes'ed loudly in satisfaction. Tony stood confusedly in the dark, not realising what Ziva had taken out of her bag until a bright light had been flashed in his face. He yelped in pain and covered his eyes.

Tony continued to grumble until his eyes had adjusted to the light and he was met by a smirk. He glared at Ziva, who just shrugged apologetically and gestured for him to take a seat by her side. He ignored her and tried to start the elevator, pressing the emergency call button roughly.

"That will not work," Ziva pointed out and grabbed a bottle out of her bag. Noticing Tony's raised eyebrow she explained, "We might be here for a while," and took an appreciative sip of water.

"Thanks for stating the obvious Zee-vah," he muttered and gave up abusing the elevator buttons. Ziva decided to disregard his comment and shuffled so that there was enough space for both of them to sit comfortably. Tony gave her a look before sighing and joining her on the cold, metal floor.

After a few moments, the silence was killing Tony.

"So Zee-vah, stuck in an elevator, just you and me. Anything can happen," he teased, trying to get a response out of her. Ziva smiled silently to herself but did not reply. He tried again. "Oh c'mon Zee, give me something to work with. A life story, a joke, anything."

"Tony," she began, "For the sanity of my sake I would rather if you kept your mouth shut until someone finds us."

Tony mocked hurt. "But like you said before, we might be here for a while. Oh, and it's _for the sake of my sanity_."

Ziva screwed up her face. "That is what I said," she said, knowing full well that she hadn't actually said that. Tony tried for a different approach.

"You aren't... claustrophobic are you?" Suddenly, he was taken back to the time when he and Ziva had been boxed in and she had somehow managed to end up on top of him. _Protecting me? Hah, she wishes._ He was brought back to reality by Ziva's face screwing up in confusion again.

"Why would I be afraid of Santa Claus?" she asked, clearly not understanding the relevance of his question. He allowed himself a chuckle.

"Being _claus_trophobic doesn't mean you are afraid of Santa _Claus_. It means that you're afraid of small, dark places." Ziva snorted.

"There is no place for me to be afraid of _Small. Dark. Places," _she whispered, emphasising each word, causing Tony to look at her suggestively.

"I didn't mean it like _that_. But if that's what you want Zee-vah I'd-"

She smirked but cut him off before he could continue. "As I was saying, I have been in worse situations." Tony gestured for her to continue. She complied, seeing as they had nothing better to do. "It was a while ago. I was under the orders of my father to pursue Mohammad Ronzahin, a skilled bomber who had killed over 475 people. I was young and naive. I did not realise that he had spotted me following him. I could have been killed swiftly but he decided to let me die _slowly and painfully_ so he shot my left foot and locked me in a small, airtight metal box. I was in and out of consciousness for several hours before I was miraculously found."

Tony looked at his partner in what could only be described as pure shock and awe. How she had survived, he would never know. _Well she _is_ my crazy little ninja chick_ he told himself. _Wait, __**my**__ crazy little ninja chick? Bit possessive aren't we_? Tony mentally slapped himself. _You're not supposed to feel this way about her._ Tony zoned back in when Ziva's hand lay gently on his arm. The tingles returned.

"Tony?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you okay? You have been distant for the past couple of days."

_No, I'm not okay. Does it look like I'm okay? Why does it have to be __**you**__ of all people that I'm stuck in an elevator with? Stupid 'fate' had to bring us together didn't it? I don't think I can last another second of this or I'm going to do something extremely stupid like proclaim my undying love for you. _He sighed. _It would all be okay if you returned my feelings, but I know there is no way, no way in hell that a woman as good as you would ever fall for someone like me. I don't deserve you. You deserve the best and only the best._ _I'm not the best. I'm the worst. _Tony cringed at the thought of a repeat of what happened with Jeanne and then shook his head. He would _never _EVER hurt Ziva like that. He loved her too much. He was ready- wait no. He _wanted_ he commit to Ziva. Right?

Too wrapped in his own thoughts, Tony did not notice Ziva was having an internal battle of her own.

_Does he hate me? He hates me._ She sighed. _He never tells me things anymore. I just told him about how I had nearly died in a stinking metal box, and I don't even get a response. Not even a little one! Argh, why do I feel this way? I am Mossad-trained. I am not supposed to feel this way. But here he is, pulling down all those bricks -or is it walls? - I tried so hard to build, and he does not even realise._

Tony realised that he had been debating with himself for quite some time and gave himself a quick glance at Ziva to see if she had noticed anything. He immediately wanted to comfort her. Hurt and a hint of worry were visible in her eyes. Barely. But he could still see it, and it was one of the things that he prided himself for detecting. He could _always _read her eyes, even when she put on her Mossad-trained emotionless mask.

The look she was giving him made his heart flutter uncharacteristically. Not because she was upset but, one: because she cared enough to ask him about how he felt, and two: because he could read the exotic beauty that was Ziva David. She probably didn't even realise that he could read the emotions she tried very hard to hide. _Good think too, or she would probably castrate me_, Tony laughed to himself.

Tony couldn't help but to look at her beautiful face and smile. Impulsively, he used his free hand to grab her other hand and squeezed softly to bring her out of her sorrowful trance. Ziva flinched slightly at his sudden touch but didn't pull away. She looked at Tony and cocked her head slightly in confusion.

That was all it took for Tony's heart to melt again. He chose his 'fate' as he liked to put it.

"I'm okay," Tony whispered gently, answering her long-forgotten question. "I'm okay _now_, because I'm with you."

**A/N: As I said before, this is my first Fanfiction so constructive criticism is very welcome. I hope I did alright. Just point out where I went wrong, but don't be too harsh on me please! Oh and I'm terribly sorry about the ending, it just wasn't coming to me. [:**


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